Trump is "standing knee-deep in a swamp of his own"
Wertheimer's Political Money Report
January 26, 2017
A NOTE FROM FRED
 
President Trump is misusing and abusing the office of the presidency for personal gain – a violation of the most fundamental ethics rules and standards for public officeholders. This is a statement of fact. Trump retaining ownership of The Trump Organization ensures that the profits and financial benefits these businesses receive from domestic and foreign interests go directly to Trump. Since Trump became president, his Florida resort has doubled its membership fees and Trump Hotels indicated plans for massive expansion. These and many future steps that will be undertaken are exploiting the presidency for personal financial gain in ways that have never been done before. This is nothing less than a brazen and flagrant affront to the American people and to the office in which Trump serves.

Instead of divesting, Trump Hotels announces major expansion plan. "The head of [Trump's] hotel-management company outlined hopes for an ambitious expansion across the U.S., raising new questions about potential conflicts between his business and the presidency," says Bloomberg. The CEO said Trump Hotels is currently in five US metropolitan areas, but would like to expand significantly into all 26 major markets. "The expansion -- which has the potential to benefit from Trump’s actions and profile as president -- could spark further controversy." Read more

Trump Organization names top GOP lawyer as ethics adviser. The Trump Organization named Bobby Burchfield, a veteran GOP lawyer who advised both of George W. Bush's presidential campaigns and is the current chairman of Crossroads GPS, to serve as an ethics adviser. Burchfield will have the authority to approve any of the Trump company’s new domestic deals. Fred told the Washington Post that, “Given Bobby Burchfield’s long-standing role in Republican Party efforts, he does not fit the definition of what would be considered an independent ethics adviser." Read more

"GOP committee members take first vote to protect Trump’s conflicts of interest," says the Huffington Post. Republicans on the House Oversight Committee unanimously voted against an amendment to the committee’s rules that would have prohibited them from approving any legislation that could directly benefit Trump and his businesses. "This was the first time any member of Congress has had to vote on the record on whether they endorse the president’s decision to forgo divesting his ownership stake in any business holdings that could present a conflict." Read more

Trump is "standing knee-deep in a swamp of his own" says the New York Times editorial board. Trump said his new administration would mark the end of "the establishment", but instead he has filled his "gilded cabinet" with "tycoons, Wall Street heavyweights, cronies and a new rank of shadowy wealthy 'advisers' unaccountable to anyone but him." Read more

Tech companies increase lobbying efforts. SpaceX spent nearly $2 million on lobbying in 2016 and its founder Elon Musk was recently picked by Trump to serve as an economic adviser. Uber spent $1.4 million lobbying last year, nearly triple what it spent in 2015. Google's lobbying efforts still far outpace the others. In 2016, they spent over $15 million lobbying on issues ranging from immigration to email privacy, says BuzzFeed. Read more  
FACT OF THE DAY

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida doubled its new-member fees to $200,000. The increase  could "directly benefit [Trump's] private fortune because he has refused to divest his business holdings while in the Oval Office," says the Washington Post. Read more 


IN THE STATES
SD: Yesterday, a Senate committee approved a repeal of the state's campaign finance ballot initiative. The repeal will now likely go to the full Senate floor, where Democrats hold only six of 35 seats. Read more 

AK: Sarah Palin shut down Sarah PAC. During the 2016 election cycle, the PAC spent $168,000 on lodging and travel - more than double what it donated to candidates. Read more 

VA: Republicans in the House of Delegates introduced a bill that would end the "winner take all" system of awarding VA's presidential electoral votes and replace it with a system awarding electoral votes by congressional district. Read more

By: Fred Wertheimer (@FredWertheimer) & Kathryn Beard (@KathrynBeard)
 
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